System and method for managing diabetes

ABSTRACT

A diabetes management system, an infusion pump, and methods for managing a blood glucose level of a diabetes patient. The infusion pump includes a processor for monitoring an amount of insulin delivered to a patient and an internal database in communication with the processor. The internal database is for storing food information. The diabetes management system includes a blood glucose monitor, a food database, and an infusion pump for delivering insulin to a patient. The food database comprises one or more records of information on various foods. The infusion pump of the diabetes management system includes (i) a processor for monitoring an amount of insulin delivered to the patient and (ii) a second database. The second database is for receiving at least a portion of the information from the food database.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/176,390, filed Jun. 19, 2002, allowed on Oct.10, 2006, which claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application60/299,802, filed Jun. 21, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for managingdiabetes. More particularly, the present invention is related to adiabetes management application for use with handheld organizers.

A number of diabetes management programs for handheld devices currentlyexist. However, these devices exhibit limited functionality and areoften difficult to use. The existing diabetes management softwarepackages that are capable of handling a plurality of logs for bloodglucose levels, insulin shots, meals, activities, etc., are designed insuch a way that the information is held in one record. By storinginformation in one record, the user is affected in a number of waysincluding: harder to read logs, one date/time stamp for actions whichmay occur 30 or more minutes apart, and a database occupying significantamount of space. Additionally, storing information in one record and,for example, entering only blood glucose information at a particularpoint, results in poor space allocation for meal information, insulindosage information or activity data. Consequently, space allocation in aparticular database record for specific values will be lost.

What is needed is a diabetes management system and a method that storeseach type of data used to manage the blood glucose level of a diabetespatient in individual time/date stamped records that can be stored in adatabase system for future review by a health professional.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a system and computer-implemented method whichmanage the blood glucose level of a diabetes patient. A data inputinterface is provided which allows the patient to input different typesof data used to calculate at least one of insulin and carbohydrateintake recommendations for the patient. The types of inputted datainclude (i) activity data associated with the physical activity of thepatient, (ii) blood glucose data associated with the blood glucose levelof the patient, (iii) meal intake data associated with the food intakeof the patient, and (iv) insulin intake data associated with the insulinintake of the patient. A time/date stamp is individually generated foreach type of data inputted by the patient. The data inputted by thepatient and the respective time/date stamp is stored in a database.

An external database may be accessed to retrieve supplementalinformation, associated with at least one of the activity data and themeal intake data, to calculate at least one of the insulin andcarbohydrate intake recommendations for the patient. The externaldatabase may be a food database which provides extended searchcapabilities. The patient may select, via the data interface, one ormore food items from the food database. Portion size data associatedwith each food item may be adjusted so that the portion size correspondsto the amount ingested by the patient. The total nutritional content ofa meal ingested by the patient may be calculated based on the selectedfood items and portion size data. The external database may be a fooddatabase which includes at least part of the USDA food database. Thefood database may include foods offered from at least one national orregional chain restaurant.

The blood glucose data may be received from a blood glucose meter whichmonitors the blood of the patient. The insulin intake data may bereceived from an insulin pump which distributes insulin intake into theblood of the patient. Insulin intake recommendations may be based on thefood intake data. The food intake data may include at least one ofcarbohydrate intake data, fat intake data and protein intake data.Multiple insulin to carbohydrate compensation ratios may be stored basedon a time and/or meal type deemed appropriate for the patient. Theactivity data may include calories burned by the patient during anactivity. The carbohydrate intake recommendations may be based on theactivity data.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a diabetesmanagement system for managing the blood glucose level of a diabetespatient including at least one portable electronic device with a datainput interface and a processor, and a database system in communicationwith the processor. The data input interface allows the patient to inputdifferent types of data into the processor to calculate insulin andcarbohydrate intake recommendations for the patient.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a diabetes managementsystem for managing the blood glucose level of a diabetes patientincludes an insulin pump with a processor which monitors the insulinintake of the patient, and a database system in communication with theprocessor of the insulin pump. The database system stores insulin intakedata associated with the insulin intake of the patient. A time/datestamp is individually generated and stored with the insulin intake data.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a diabetesmanagement system for managing the blood glucose level of a diabetespatient includes a blood glucose meter including a processor whichmonitors the blood glucose level of the patient, and a database systemin communication with the processor of the blood glucose meter. Thedatabase system stores blood glucose level data associated with theblood glucose level of the patient. A time/date stamp is individuallygenerated and stored with the blood glucose data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of theinvention will be better understood when read in conjunction with theappended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, thereare shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. Itshould be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a diabetes management system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the diabetes management system of FIG. 1 interfacing withan insulin pump and blood glucose meter in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIGS. 3-8 show flow charts of how the database and log structuresoperate in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a database system and the format of data stored inaccordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of providing a data input interface andstoring different types of data along with a time/date stamp inaccordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a system and method for management ofdiabetes. A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes adiabetes management application designed for operation on a handheldorganizer, such as a Palm OS device. The present invention is used tolog blood glucose levels, insulin intake, and nutrition information(carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat and calories), activity and notes.Based on user settings such as carbohydrates to insulin ratios forvarious kinds of meals, protein, fat and fiber compensation, bloodglucose target area, high/low glucose levels compensation throughinsulin and carbohydrates, and weight, the present invention computesthe recommended dosage taking into consideration variables such as bloodglucose level, activity, meals, etc.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is designed for operating on thePalm OS platform. The database structure and search capabilitiespreferably incorporate the use of the Palm OS API to provide sufficientspeed and reliability.

The present invention preferably uses one or more reference databasesfor computing meal nutrition factors and/or the amount of caloriesburned during activities. A food database is preferably provided for usewith a handheld device. The food database preferably comprises at leasta portion of the USDA food nutrition facts database 130. The fooddatabase preferably includes the most used items from the USDA foodnutrition facts database. A corresponding desktop application is alsoprovided which preferably contains corresponding portions of the USDAfood nutrition facts database which can be uploaded as needed to thehandheld device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the total amount ofcarbohydrates, protein and fats contained in a meal is preferablycomputed by the handheld device or the desktop application based on theselected items and quantities entered by a user. A recommended insulindosage which compensates for a particular meal is provided using userset carbohydrate to insulin ratios and rules for protein, fat and fiber.

The present invention further preferably incorporates an activitydatabase which contains a list of common sports activities and thecalorie burn ratios per minute per pound of body weight. Based on auser's entered weight and duration of activity, the present inventionpreferably computes the amount of calories burned and recommends anamount of carbohydrates needed to compensate for the burned calories.

The present invention is preferably capable of synchronizing databasesbetween a handheld device and a personal computer running the desktopapplication.

FIG. 1 shows a diabetes management system 100 in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention. The diabetes managementsystem 100 includes at least one Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) 105(also referred to as ezManager Palm), a personal computer (PC) 110 (alsoreferred to as ezManager Desktop) and a conduit 115 (also referred to asezManager Conduit) which is in communication with the PDA 105 and PC110. Conduit 115 synchronizes data between PDA 105 and PC 110. Thisprocess is known as HotSync. An operating system (OS) runs on the PC110, such as Palm OS v3.0 or higher. An OS also runs on PC 110, such asWindows 9x/ME/2000/XP. The diabetes management system 100 manages theblood glucose level of a diabetes patient and includes at least oneportable electronic device (PDA 105) including a data input interface120 and a processor 125. The data input interface allows the patient toinput different types of data into the processor 125 to calculateinsulin and carbohydrate intake recommendations for the patient. Thediabetes management system 100 also includes a database system incommunication with the processor 125. The database system 135 storesdifferent types of the data inputted by the patient, including (i)activity data associated with the physical activity of the patient, (ii)blood glucose data associated with the blood glucose level of thepatient, (iii) meal intake data associated with the food intake of thepatient, and (iv) insulin intake data associated with the insulin intakeof the patient. A time/date stamp is individually generated and storedfor each type of data inputted by the patient.

The PDA 105 is also known as a hand held (HH) device and has an internaldatabase (DB) which may store up to six months of data in less than 512Kof memory. The PDA 105 synchronizes with the PC 110 via conduit 115 toarchive data and create reports. The conduit 115 contains a set of ruleson which synchronization between PDA 105 and PC 110 is based. The PDA105 is used to log physical activity, blood glucose (BG), insulinintake, meals, and notes of a diabetes patient who uses the diabetesmanagement system 100. The PDA 105 computes and recommends amounts ofcarbohydrates and insulin that the diabetes patient should consume basedon types of data inputted by the diabetes patient via a user interface(UI) presented by the PDA 105. The PDA 105 also computes thehyperglycemia or hypoglycemia compensation based on input by thediabetes patient. The PDA 105 is used to log physical activity, bloodglucose (BG), insulin intake, meals, and notes of a diabetes patient whouses the diabetes management system 100. The PC 110 is used to logphysical activity, blood glucose (BG), insulin intake, meals, and notesfrom one or more diabetes patients using one or more PDAs 105.

As shown in FIG. 2, PC 110 may also be linked with one or more bloodglucose (BG) meters 215 and/or insulin pumps 205 which download insulinpump data 210 and BG meter data 220 to the PC 110. PC 110 can createreports based on the data which is stored in a database. Multiple user'srecords may be kept separately in individual files associated withdifferent diabetes patients. PC 110 may use a Microsoft Access data baseformat which operates in conjunction with conduit 115 to synchronizewith the PDA 105 to upload/download logs and Activity and Fooddatabases.

The diabetes management system 100 computes and recommends amounts ofcarbohydrates and insulin that the diabetes patient should consume basedon types of data inputted by the diabetes patient via a user interface(UI) presented by the PDA 105.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a desktopapplication is provided as a counterpart to an application running on ahandheld device. The desktop application preferably contains all of thefunctionalities of the handheld application along with extendedreporting and database maintenance capabilities. The desktop applicationpreferably uses an MS Access database structure and ActiveX data objectsdatabase connections. Preferably, the synchronization dynamic library iscompliant with the Palm OS Conduit requirement.

The present invention is preferably also designed to provide for readyintegration with insulin pumps using, for example, an infrared link.Preferably, the present invention can download and centralizeinformation regarding insulin boluses, daily totals history, alarmhistory—with a description for each code, actual settings and programs,and the like. The present invention preferably also can downloadinformation from any number of glucometer devices. The present inventionalso preferably provides easy data entry for users, allowing a user tofocus on recording of meals, activities and important events.

Preferably, data can be downloaded from the handheld device to one ormore databases operating in connection with the desktop application. Auser preferably is able to analyze data downloaded to the desktopapplication using a number of tabular listings, linear graphs, bargraphs and pie charts. Preferably the user is also able to “pack” orpacketize data, for example, for a certain period or periods of time.The data can then be conveniently transmitted to a physician foranalysis. The present invention is also preferably capable ofsynchronizing multiple handheld devices on a single desktop computer.

In operation, a user is preferably capable of selecting one or moreitems through the desktop application for uploading to a handheld devicefrom, for example, the food database and/or the activity database.Additionally, a user can select from a full list of items provided fromthe USDA database as well as from updates provided by a third party ornew items entered by the user.

FIGS. 3-8 illustrate operational sequences in flowchart form for onepreferred embodiment of the present invention, and are self-explanatory.

As discussed above, the present invention preferably incorporates theuse of excerpts from the USDA food nutrition facts database on ahandheld device. As shown in FIG. 9, a diabetes management system 900according to the present invention includes an activity database 905, anactivity log 910, a blood glucose log 915, a food database 920, a meallog 925, an insulin log 930, a notes log 935 and a program settingsdatabase 940. The diabetes management system 900 is preferably organizedusing a category system which optimizes database size and acceleratessearch/display sequences. The present invention preferably uses one logentry for each category. Each record 950, 960, 970, 980, 990 preferablyhas a corresponding date/time field (day, month, year, hours, minutes)that allows a user to enter one record independently of another andallows a physician to better understand the sequence of events whenanalyzing data entered by a user. By having one log for each category,the amount of data lost through unused fields is significantly reduced.Using separate tables for each log entry also provides easier review oflogs at a later time by a user.

Record 950 includes activity data and is stored in activity log 910.Besides the date/time field columns, record 950 includes a field columnfor each of duration, calories and activity. The duration field columnis the duration of an activity of the patient measured in minutes. Thecalories field column is the number of calories expended by the patientduring exercise. The activity field column is the number of caloriesexpended by the patient while performing the activity.

Record 960 includes blood glucose (BG) values and is stored in BG log915. Besides the date/time field columns, record 960 includes a fieldcolumn for blood glucose values recorded in milligrams per deciliter(mg/dl).

Record 970 includes meal information and is stored in meal log 925. Thedate/time field columns are used to uniquely define a particular meal(records grouped) in a given day. An enternum field column furtherdefines a meal so as to allow the patient to enter the same meal in thesame day and calculate it independently. This value is incremented eachtime a duplicate meal is created. The multiplier, carbs, fiber,calories, protein and fat field columns are unique to each food item(e.g., a piece of bread). Name and serving field columns are used tofurther describe food that is consumed by the patient.

Record 980 includes insulin intake information. The date/time fieldcolumns are used to uniquely define a particular meal (records grouped)in a given day. Besides the date/time field columns, record 980 includesa field column for units, method and durmin. The field column for unitsrepresents the units of insulin that the patient intakes. The methodfield column represents the method of insulin infusion, such asinjection, bolus or extended bolus. When an extended bolus is used bythe patient, the field column durmin represents the duration of theextended bolus in minutes.

Record 990 allows the patient to store notes for future review. Sincerecords 950, 960, 970, 980, 990 are individual records containingmultiple fields, the storage space required is minimized.

PDA 105 accepts data entries provided by a diabetes patient and storesthem in the activity BG, meal, insulin and notes logs, as isappropriate. The PDA 105 stores and uses dosage information provided bythe patient. The PDA 105 computes the total number of carbohydrates in ameal based on meal items selected by the patient. The PDA 105 also iscapable of computing the necessary amount of insulin needed tocompensate for hyperglycemia and the amount of carbohydrates needed tocompensate for hypoglycemia. The PDA 105 is able to import and exportdata to a compressed and encrypted file.

The present invention also preferably includes built-in searchcapabilities for the food and activity databases. The searchcapabilities preferably include a full string search feature whichallows a uses to find an item in a database as easily as entering asequence of characters that the user is looking for. For example, whensearching for “burger”, items like “cheeseburger”, “hamburger”, “lettuceand tomato burger” will show up in a search result window.

The present invention also preferably includes additional features whichprovide easy database browsing, including a category search feature. Byusing this feature together with intuitive names for categories, theuser can go through a category list and find desired items.

The present invention preferably stores complete meal information foreach meal entry, including the names of foods, serving sizes,carbohydrates, calories, fiber, fat and proteins. This allows a user tobetter understand the complexity of the carbohydrates contained in ameal. The present invention preferably uses the complete mealinformation to compensate for proteins, fat, and fiber when recommendingan insulin dose for a particular meal.

The present invention preferably also recommends corrective actionsbased on user entries. For example, if a user enters a blood glucosevalue that is outside his/her target range, an insulin dose isrecommended which compensates for hyperglycemia or the amount ofcarbohydrates needed to compensate for hyperglycemia, based oncorrective ratios entered by the user in a user profile. The presentinvention preferably also recommends corrective actions for activity,high protein meals, or the content of fiber or fat in a certain meal.

The present invention preferably also provides a user interface havinglarge buttons and easy-to-follow names providing an easy to useinterface. Point-and-click navigation capability is preferablyincorporated, to allow a user to use the system without requiring theuse of complicated data entry sequences or “Graffiti™” signs. Largebuttons and fonts facilitate the use of the invention by users, sinceusers suffering from diabetes commonly have vision problems.

The desktop application of the present invention is preferably designedto store information for multiple users using one or more databases.Preferably, an unlimited number of users can be created allowing eachuser to download information from a handheld device or from an insulinpump to separate locations in the desktop application database. Each setof data can then be processed and graphed independently, or can beexported (individually or as a whole) to other applications for displayand analysis. The present invention preferably does not rely on otherruntime environments.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart illustrating how data is processed inaccordance with the present invention. In step 1005, a data inputinterface is provided which allows a diabetes patient to input differenttypes of data (step 1010) used to calculate at least one of insulin andcarbohydrate intake recommendations for the patient. The types ofinputted data include (i) activity data associated with the physicalactivity of the patient, (ii) blood glucose data associated with theblood glucose level of the patient, (iii) meal intake data associatedwith the food intake of the patient, and (iv) insulin intake dataassociated with the insulin intake of the patient. In step 1015, atime/date stamp is individually generated for each type of data inputtedby the patient. In step 1020, the data inputted by the patient and therespective time/date stamp are stored in a database, whereby anauthorized user such as the doctor of the patient may access thedatabase to review the data entered by the patient, according to thetime/date stamps.

An external food database may be accessed to calculate at least one ofinsulin and carbohydrate intake recommendations for the patient. Thefood database may provide extended search capabilities. The externalfood database may include at least part of the USDA food database. Theexternal food database may include foods offered from at least onenational or regional chain restaurant.

The meal intake data may be based on foods entered by the patient. Themeal intake data may be based on the total nutritional content of ameal. The meal intake data may be inputted by the patient choosing oneor more food items from the external food database. A portion size maybe inputted which corresponds to the amount of food ingested by thepatient. The blood glucose data may be received from a blood glucosemeter which monitors the blood of the patient. The insulin intake datamay be received from an insulin pump which distributes insulin intakeinto the blood of the patient. Insulin intake recommendations may bebased on the food intake data. The food intake data may include at leastone of carbohydrate intake data, fat intake data and protein intakedata. Multiple insulin to carbohydrate compensation ratios may be storedbased on a time and/or meal type deemed appropriate for the patient. Theactivity data may include calories burned by the patient during anactivity. The carbohydrate intake recommendations may be based on theactivity data.

The present invention may be implemented with any combination ofhardware and software. If implemented as a computer-implementedapparatus, the present invention is implemented by using means forperforming all of the steps and functions described above.

The present invention can also include an article of manufacture (e.g.,one or more computer program products, having, for instance, computeruser media. The media has embodied therein, for instance, computerreadable code means for providing and facilitating the mechanisms forthe present invention. The article of manufacture can be included aspart of a computer system or sold separately.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that thisinvention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but itis intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

1. An infusion pump for delivering insulin to a patient comprising: aprocessor for monitoring an amount of the insulin delivered to thepatient; and an internal database in communication with the processor,the internal database for storing food information.
 2. The infusion pumpof claim 1, wherein the infusion pump is configured to: receive any ofi) activity data associated with a physical activity of the patient, ii)blood glucose data associated with a blood glucose level of the patient,iii) meal intake data associated with a food intake of the patient, andiv) insulin intake data associated with an insulin intake of thepatient; and determine any of an insulin intake recommendation and acarbohydrate intake recommendation for the patient based on any of theactivity data, the blood glucose data, the meal intake data, and theinsulin intake data of the patient.
 3. The infusion pump of claim 2,wherein the infusion pump further comprises an interface configured toreceive, from a user, any of the activity data, the blood glucose data,the meal intake data, and the insulin intake data.
 4. The infusion pumpof claim 3, wherein: the infusion pump is further configured to: becoupled to a food database comprising one or more records of informationon various foods, receive a selection, by the user using the interface,of at least one record of food information in the food database, the atleast one record including data on at least one food; receive the atleast one record from the food database, and store the at least onerecord in the internal database; and the meal intake data includes: theat least one record of food information stored in the internal database,and information on a portion size of the at least one food.
 5. Theinfusion pump of claim 4, wherein the infusion pump is furtherconfigured to receive the blood glucose data from a blood glucosemonitor.
 6. The infusion pump of claim 5, wherein: the amount of thedelivered insulin is stored in a further record in the internaldatabase; and the insulin intake information is the amount of thedelivered insulin.
 7. The infusion pump of claim 6, wherein the infusionpump is further configured to determine any of the insulin intakerecommendation and the carbohydrate intake recommendation for thepatient based on any of the physical activity input by the user usingthe interface, the blood glucose data received from the blood glucosemonitor, the meal intake data, and the insulin intake data stored in thefurther record of the internal database.
 8. The infusion pump of claim4, wherein the food database is a commercial food nutrition database. 9.The infusion pump of claim 4, wherein the food database is a database ofinformation on favorite foods of the patient.
 10. The infusion pump ofclaim 4, wherein the food database is a food nutrition database providedby a restaurant.
 11. The infusion pump of claim 4, wherein the at leastone record of food information selected by the user comprises any ofcarbohydrate intake data, fat intake data, and protein intake data. 12.A diabetes management system comprising: a blood glucose monitor; a fooddatabase comprising one or more records of information on various foods;and an infusion pump for delivering insulin to a patient, the infusionpump in communication with the blood glucose monitor and the fooddatabase, comprising: a processor for monitoring an amount of insulindelivered to the patient, and a second database in communication withthe processor and the food database, the second database for receivingat least a portion of the information from the food database.
 13. Thediabetes management system of claim 12, wherein the infusion pump isconfigured to: receive any of i) activity data associated with aphysical activity of the patient, ii) blood glucose data associated witha blood glucose level of the patient, iii) meal intake data associatedwith a food intake of the patient, and iv) insulin intake dataassociated with an insulin intake of the patient; and determine any ofan insulin intake recommendation and a carbohydrate intakerecommendation for the patient based on any of the activity data, theblood glucose data, the meal intake data, and the insulin intake data ofthe patient.
 14. The diabetes management system of claim 13, wherein theinfusion pump further comprises an interface configured to receive, froma user, any of the activity data, the blood glucose data, the mealintake data, and the insulin intake data.
 15. The diabetes managementsystem of claim 14, wherein: the infusion pump is further configured toreceive a selection, by the user using the interface, of at least onerecord of food information in the food database, the at least one recordincluding data on at least one food; the selected at least one record offood information is copied from the food database to the second databaseand is stored in the second database; and the meal intake data includes:the at least one record of food information stored in the seconddatabase, and information on a portion size of the at least one food.16. The diabetes management system of claim 15, wherein the infusionpump is configured to receive the blood glucose data from the bloodglucose monitor.
 17. The diabetes management system of claim 16, whereinthe insulin intake information is the amount of delivered insulin storedin a record of the second database.
 18. The diabetes management systemof claim 17, wherein the infusion pump is further configured todetermine any of the insulin intake recommendation and the carbohydrateintake recommendation for the patient based on any of the physicalactivity input by the user using the interface, the blood glucose datareceived from the blood glucose monitor, the meal intake data, and theinsulin intake data stored in the second database.
 19. The diabetesmanagement system of claim 12, wherein the food database is a commercialfood nutrition database.
 20. The diabetes management system of claim 12,wherein the food database is a database of information on favorite foodsof the patient.
 21. The diabetes management system of claim 12, whereinthe food database is a food nutrition database provided by a restaurant.22. The diabetes management system of claim 15, wherein the at least onerecord of food information selected by the user comprises any ofcarbohydrate intake data, fat intake data, and protein intake data. 23.A computer-implemented method for managing a blood glucose level of adiabetes patient comprising: monitoring an amount of insulin deliveredto a patient via an infusion pump; and storing food information in aninternal database within the infusion pump.
 24. The method of claim 23,further comprising: receiving any of i) activity data associated with aphysical activity of the patient, ii) blood glucose data associated witha blood glucose level of the patient, iii) meal intake data associatedwith a food intake of the patient, and iv) insulin intake dataassociated with an insulin intake of the patient; and determining any ofan insulin intake recommendation and a carbohydrate intakerecommendation for the patient based on any of the activity data, theblood glucose data, the meal intake data, and the insulin intake data ofthe patient.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: providingan interface on the infusion pump, the interface configured to receive,from a user, any of the activity data, the blood glucose data, the mealintake data, and the insulin intake data.
 26. The method of claim 25,further comprising: providing a food database comprising one or morerecords of information on various foods, the food database incommunication with the infusion pump; receiving a selection, by the userusing the interface, of at least one record of food information in thefood database, the at least one record including data on at least onefood; receiving the at least one record from the food database; andstoring the at least one record in the internal database, wherein themeal intake data includes: the at least one record of food informationstored in the internal database, and information on a portion size ofthe at least one food.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:receiving the blood glucose data from a blood glucose monitor.
 28. Themethod of claim 27, further comprising: storing the amount of thedelivered insulin in a further record in the internal database, whereinthe insulin intake information is the amount of the delivered insulin.29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: determining any of theinsulin intake recommendation and the carbohydrate intake recommendationfor the patient based on any of the physical activity input by the userusing the interface, the blood glucose data received from the bloodglucose monitor, the meal intake data, and the insulin intake datastored in the further record of the internal database.
 30. The methodclaim 26, wherein the food database is a commercial food nutritiondatabase.
 31. The method claim 26, wherein the food database is adatabase of information on favorite foods of the patient.
 32. The methodof claim 26, wherein the food database is a food nutrition databaseprovided by a restaurant.
 33. The method of claim 26, wherein the atleast one record of food information selected by the user comprises anyof carbohydrate intake data, fat intake data, and protein intake data.34. A computer-implemented method for managing a blood glucose level ofa diabetes patient comprising: monitoring an amount of insulin deliveredto a patient via an infusion pump; providing a food database comprisingone or more records of information on various foods, the food databasebeing external to the infusion pump; providing an internal databasewithin the infusion pump; receiving at least a portion of foodinformation from the food database; storing the at least a portion ofthe food information received from the external database in the internaldatabase of the infusion pump.
 35. The method of claim 34, furthercomprising: receiving any of i) activity data associated with a physicalactivity of the patient, ii) blood glucose data associated with a bloodglucose level of the patient, iii) meal intake data associated with afood intake of the patient, and iv) insulin intake data associated withan insulin intake of the patient; and determining any of an insulinintake recommendation and a carbohydrate intake recommendation for thepatient based on any of the activity data, the blood glucose data, themeal intake data, and the insulin intake data of the patient.
 36. Themethod of claim 35, further comprising: providing an interface on theinfusion pump, the interface configured to receive, from a user, any ofthe activity data, the blood glucose data, the meal intake data, and theinsulin intake data.
 37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:receiving a selection, by the user using the interface, of at least onerecord of food information in the food database, the at least one recordincluding data on at least one food; receiving the at least one recordfrom the food database; and storing the at least one record in theinternal database, wherein the meal intake data includes: the at leastone record of food information stored in the internal database, andinformation on a portion size of the at least one food.
 38. The methodof claim 37, further comprising: receiving the blood glucose data from ablood glucose monitor.
 39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:storing the amount of the delivered insulin in a further record in theinternal database, wherein the insulin intake information is the amountof the delivered insulin.
 40. The method of claim 39, furthercomprising: determining any of the insulin intake recommendation and thecarbohydrate intake recommendation for the patient based on any of thephysical activity input by the user using the interface, the bloodglucose data received from the blood glucose monitor, the meal intakedata, and the insulin intake data stored in the internal database. 41.The method of claim 34, wherein the food database is a commercial foodnutrition database.
 42. The method of claim 34, wherein the fooddatabase is a database of information on favorite foods of the patient.43. The method of claim 34, wherein the food database is a foodnutrition database provided by a restaurant.
 44. The method of claim 37,wherein the at least one record of food information selected by the usercomprises any of carbohydrate intake data, fat intake data, and proteinintake data.